TED Radio Hour | Best Science Podcasts (2018)

Our selection of the best science podcasts of 2018. New science podcasts are updated daily from your favorite science news services and scientists.

TED Radio HourThe TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas: astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, new ways to think and create. Based on Talks given by riveting speakers on the world-renowned TED stage, each show is centered on a common theme such as the source of happiness, crowd-sourcing innovation, power shifts, or inexplicable connections.

Decoding Our Emotions2018-03-08 21:01:04We experience powerful emotions all of the time, but what are they exactly? Where do they come from? This hour, TED speakers invoke history, language, science and music to help us think about the way we feel. Guests include writer John Koenig, cultural historian Tiffany Watt Smith, psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett, developmental researcher Kang Lee, and conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.

Peering Deeper Into Space2018-02-08 21:01:24The past few years have ushered in an explosion of new discoveries about our universe. This hour, TED speakers explore the implications of these advances â and the lingering mysteries of the cosmos. Guests include theoretical physicist Allan Adams, planetary scientist Sara Seager, and astrophysicists Natasha Hurley-Walker and Jedidah Isler.

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52 minutes, 2

Can We Trust The Numbers?2018-01-25 21:01:16Data, statistics and algorithms dominate every aspect of our lives. But how accurate are they, and how fair? This hour, TED speakers explore the ups and downs of relying too much on the numbers. Guests include mathematician and data scientist Cathy O'Neil, computer scientist Joy Buolamwini, data visualisation editor Alan Smith, data journalist Mona Chalabi, and criminal justice reformer Anne Milgram.

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52 minutes, 45 seconds

The Big Five2018-01-11 21:01:19What are the five biggest global challenges we face right now â and what can we do about them? This hour, TED speakers explore some radical solutions to these enduring problems. Guests include geoengineer Tim Kruger, president of the International Rescue Committee David Miliband, political scientist Ian Bremmer, global data analyst Sarah Menker, and historian Rutger Bregman.

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51 minutes, 58 seconds

Rethinking Medicine2017-12-21 21:01:09Our approach to treating disease is, in many ways, narrow and rooted in the past. Is it time for a new paradigm? This hour, TED speakers share their visions for new ways to understand medicine. Guests include cancer physician and writer Siddhartha Mukherjee, surgeon and writer Atul Gawande, neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch, and internist Joseph Ravenell.

Transparency2017-11-30 21:01:18Sometimes, being truthful can be uncomfortable â even risky. But can radical honesty and openness change things for the better? This hour, TED speakers take transparency all the way to its limit. Guests include business writer David Burkus, entrepreneur Ray Dalio, journalist Trevor Timm, and hospital-patient liaison Leilani Schweitzer.

#465 How The Nose KnowsWe've all got a nose but how does it work? Why do we like some smells and not others, and why can we all agree that some smells are good and some smells are bad, while others are dependant on personal or cultural preferences? We speak with Asifa Majid, Professor of Language, Communication and Cultural Cognition at Radboud University, about the intersection of culture, language, and smell. And we level up on our olfactory neuroscience with University of Pennsylvania Professor Jay Gottfried.